Bank of America’s departing CEO Ken Lewis may be able to claim one small victory before his planned departure at end of the month.

The Charlotte, N.C.-based bank that he helped create said it plans to pay back $45 billion in rescue funds provided by Uncle Sam before the end of the year, shedding the shackles that have come with government aid.

As first reported by The Post in October, BofA is slated to raise $20 billion in capital to demonstrate to the government that it’s capable of staying a float on a long-term basis without assistance from taxpayers.

A call to a BofA spokesman was not immediately returned.

One of the nation’s largest bank’s, BofA has taken a big blow the franchises once-vaunted reputation after its shotgun merger with Merrill Lynch resulted in several investigations by regulators and Congress.